Adrian Paul, an orc from Weta, Stan Lee and Kevin Sorbo were some of the attractions at Salt Lake Comic Con 2013

Paradoxes: trouble with time travel at Salt Lake Comic Con 2013

Panel members (left to right) David Boop, James Wymore, Tom Durham, Eric James Stone, Peter J. Wacks, and Sam Knight

Panel members, David Boop, James Wymore, Tom Durham, Eric James Stone, Peter J. Wacks, and Sam Knight, at the Salt lake Comic Con 2013 time travel panel discussed the various problems with time travel in media and how movies and books solved those problems. One problem involves the Bootstrap Paradox, so named because of the Robert Heinlein story By His Bootstraps. The idea looks something like this: you go back in time and give your grandmother a locket that you inherited from your mother, who inherited it from your grandmother. If you got it from your grandmother and she got it from you, where does the locket come from? “It only exists because it already exists,” says Knight. There is no one who made the locket in this case. “It caused itself,” says Stone. “A closed timeline curve is possible. As long as the time closed time loop is consistent within itself, it doesn’t violate the laws of physics. It all works out mathematically.” The problem with the closed loop is that it continues, and that can affect matter. “If there is something physical that can wear away, it will disappear,” says Stone. “If it is the same object in the loop, it wears away. No matter what type of time travel story you write, there will always be a problem with the logic. “Just address the paradox,” says Durham. Even if it is just two characters and one says that this shouldn’t work and the other says that she knows, but it does. Put at least a little thought into it.

Other notes from the panel:

David Boop: “It needs to be fun.” “You have to know what type of story you want to tell.” Is it character driven or are you trying to explain the mechanics of time?James Wymore: “Stay on the POV. That’s who they want to care about. You follow the POV.”Tom Durham:Groundhog Day was a good film. “It’s about what’s happening to this character.” Choose what the nature of the story is.Eric Stone: Time travel stories should be internally consistent. “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure is extremely consistent within its system.” “(Final Countdown) is internally self consistent.”Peter Wacks: Amazing characters can save bad time travel stories. “Characters are all about the choices they make.” “Time travel is the most egocentric thing you can write.”Sam Knight: “The main character’s focus has to be linear,” says Knight, or else no one would be able to understand the story.Recommended Reading and other MediaTimemaster by Robert L. ForwardTime BanditsEerie, IndianaStargate Universe: Time